What is Public Relations

Your brand’s image can play a vital role in your overall success.

Upholding a positive image can be done with the right strategy in place. Public relations (PR) is an effective way to execute this strategy.

But what exactly is public relations? And how does it affect your brand?

Whether you need PR for your live event or a new business venture, it’s important to understand the different aspects involved with PR.

Read on to find out more about the role of public relations and what kind of impact it can have on your brand. 

What is PR (Public Relations)?

Public relations refers to how a brand communicates with the public. Having good public relations ensures your brand image is positive, and its reputation is intact using effective communication strategies. 

 

What are the Key Functions of Public Relations?

The key functions of public relations include:

Brand Reputation Management

Public relations involves managing a positive brand image for a company. A company brand is merely a perception, and having a public relations strategy in place can hugely influence this perception.

Community Relationship Management

As a business grows, its community grows also. 

Creating a community as a business can be crucial to its success.

With public relations you can manage and nurture your relationship with this community. Fostering a positive relationship with your community could pay dividends in the long run. 

People respond well to brands that engage and make an effort with them.

Business Value Promotion 

With public relations you can promote the values of your brand and create a narrative that will resonate with your audience.

These values need to be upheld through appropriate actions the business executes using a PR strategy. 

What are the Types of Public Relations?

We know that public relations are important for companies to focus on and to keep standards high. Here are the different types of public relations that are essential to keep in mind.

Media Relations

Media relations is about establishing a relationship with the media which can be highly beneficial. The media has an influence on the general population, so if you can get them to promote your brand positively, the impact could be huge.

The media needs a constant stream of news for their channels and this insatiable thirst for content can be used as leverage for your brand’s media relations strategy. 

If you can pitch ideas to relevant media outlets in your industry and get them to interact with your business, your brand awareness and reputation can be boosted.

Crisis Communication 

In business there is always the chance that things may not go as planned. That could end up leading to a crisis occurring, leaving your brand’s reputation damaged.

This is where crisis management PR can be deployed.

There should already be a solid PR strategy in place before having to call upon a crisis management plan. But, sometimes, these situations are unavoidable, and using crisis management to salvage your brand’s reputation and image is sometimes required.

Public Affairs

For some companies it is important for them to foster good relationships with public officials such as politicians and government officials.

Public affairs PR helps organisations stay compliant with new updated legislation and in line with regulatory bodies.  

Employee Communications

Employees play a vital role in a brand’s success, which is why they need to be considered when it comes to communicating with them effectively.

Sometimes companies have to make changes, and employees need to be engaged with. If the relationship between employee and employer sours, this could lead to a PR catastrophe.

Respect needs to be shown to employees, which is something an internal PR strategy can provide.

Social Media Communications

Social media is an important part of a businesses communication strategy. Customers rely more than ever on social media to be the line of communication between themselves and a brand’s online presence.  

This has led to companies doing the majority of their PR using social media alone.

Who Needs Public Relations?

All businesses can benefit from having a public relations strategy. 

If they don’t have a PR strategy in place, they are leaving themselves open to potential negative press, which could harm their reputation.

Public Relations with Gala PR

Public relations is something all businesses can benefit from. Having a well thought out PR strategy in place can strengthen your brand’s image and enhance its reputation.

At Gala PR, we help live entertainment events run successful PR strategies. These strategies help businesses promote their live events and gain vital exposure which make the events an overall success.

With over ten years experience in this space and many industry contacts we know we have the capabilities to make your live event a success.
If you run a live event and want a PR strategy, get in touch today.